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What the media is saying about Joe King Carrasco.

Joe King Carrasco Press Clips

Steve Terrell, reporter and DJ in Santa Fe, NM wrote in his review of 'Tlaquepaque':  "The absolute best song onTlaquepaque is the ranchero-flavored “Donna, Do Ya Wanna.” There is a guitar riff very similar to that on Eddie Dimas’ “El Mosquito,” and the refrain, “Donna, Donna, Donna, Donna, do ya wanna?” reminds me of Frank Zappa’s conversation with Flora and Fauna in “Dinah-Moe Humm.”" http://steveterrell.blogspot.com/2013/05/terrells-tuneup-tale-of-two-kings.html 5/24/13

"An Austin staple since the Seventies, JKC remains a venerable instigator of the cultural collision known as Tex-Mex rock & roll, which playfully fuses oldies garage rock with Latin affectations. He holds four distinctions that make him something of a saint himself: He was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 1981;Michael Jackson sang on his 1982 track "Don't Let a Woman (Make a Fool Out of You)"; Manu Chao cites him as an influence and covered his song "Pachuco Hop"; and he was once lauded by the quintessential music sage Lester Bangs as being "the most manically irresistible rocker to come along in ages."" Kevin Curtin, Austin American Statesman, 12-14-12

Kent Wolgamott with the Lincoln Journal Star reviewed their new CD:  "Que Wow" is the new disc from the reunited original version of Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns. It's Tex-Mex rock ‘n' roll at its finest.  Kicking off with the boisterous, Farfisa-filled "Drug Thru The Mud," then the title cut, "Que Wow" romps through party songs like "Havin' A Ball," pays tribute to the Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, club where Carrasco leads the house band with "Nacho Daddy," and tosses in lots of references to frijoles and tamales as it bounces through Caribbean-influenced tunes and, of course, some hopped-up polkas.”  Read more.

Margaret Moser of the Austin Chronicle writes (2012): “For this year's Austin Music Awards bill on Wednesday, March 14, at the Austin Music Hall, Joe "King" Carrasco & the Crowns was an easy choice. Its distinctive Tex-Mex sound not only captured the abandon of garage-rock-based punk in the late Seventies, it also updated Doug Sahm's uniquely Texas sound for the Eighties. It was one of the earliest Texas bands featured on MTV when music mattered.”

"Bruce Springsteen lists him as one of the four best rock artists in the world. Michael Jackson has sung on his albums. He even had a No. 1 hit in Nicaragua." THE PHOENIX NEW TIMES

"The conjunto spirit wraps it all up, Carrasco’s lighting fires on the mountain." NEW YORK VILLAGE VOICE

"As soon as he starts keening the ay yi yi of the Mexican battle cry, little doubt remains that here is a genuine soldier in Pancho Villa’s army, reborn, by a smirk of nature, into a gringo’s body." TORONTO’S NOW MAGAZINE

"Joe King Carrasco is one wild and crazy guy - an original party animal - and his band The Crowns is hotter than a jar of jalapeno peppers." DC METROLAND

"Carrasco and his band ‘The Crowns’ have been steadily earning the attention of the rock press in both the U.S. and England." ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE

"Carrasco led his group through two 75-minute sets that were hot as jalapeno peppers, doffing his trademark cape and crown during 96 Tears and marching one of his cordless guitar solos all the way out the door to the middle of Washington Street." THE BUFFALO NEWS

"This ‘Mexican wildman in a gringo’s body’ has the reputation of working audiences into a frenzied dance party - while on stage Carrasco is outdoing them with every step." KANSAS CITY STAR

"Every night is a party weekend when the irrepressible Joe King Carrasco is in charge of the festivities. There’s no question about it - he’s still a wild and crazy guy." BOSTON GLOBE

"Carrasco had the waitresses dancing on the bar and leading mambo trains through the club. He perched on railings, ripped out guitar solos, crowned dancers with his famous sparkling crown and he delivered one of the spiciest, hottest rock and roll shows anyone is likely to see around here this year." THE ALBANY TIMES UNION

"Carrasco plays a smorgasbord of Latin verve - polkas, cumbias, calypso and salsa, oh and don’t worry folks, if the crowd is willing, encores last as long as the main act." THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN

"Tex - Mex Jalapeno rock and roll with a vision to convert the masses." LAS CRUCES SUN NEWS

"If there’s one thing he’s known for - from Texas to New York - it’s delivering a Texas sized party no matter what the circumstances." PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

"Carrasco, the unchallenged King of Tex-Mex, is in his element in front of a wild and crazy crowd, preferably a cerveza soaked gathering on the beach." AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN

"A funky cross between party rock and Mexican tunes, and its goal is to keep your feet moving." MIAMI NEWS

"Hold on to your crowns! It was a wild and crazy time as the King and his court rocked the Skipperdome with mighty Texas rock’n’roll." TAMPA TRIBUNE

"Carrasco’s version of 96 Tears shows that he and his band are honor graduates of the James Brown School of Show Bidness." ASPEN CHRONICLE

"An exuberant call to accordion arms, aimed right at the feet, as in ‘I theeenk he wants us to dance senor’." NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS

"A band that has a reputation for delivering a Texas-sized party everywhere they play." THE MACOMB JOURNAL

"Pure Jalapeno Radio. Brings to mind dimly-lit stucco-walled cantinas with flies, sweat and dust the main motif." NEWPORT DAILY NEWS

"Tales of Tequila and Revolution." PARIS MATCH

"A Jalapeno stuffed enchilada feast, straight from the hip, salsa grit. The Gulf of Mexico sound has never been hotter." THE PUEBLO JOURNAL

"Play it again Zeus, the Greek gods are with Joe King Carrasco." THE HOUSTON POST